16-25th October 2009 - We trekked Kilimanjaro “The Roof of Africa” (the highest peak in the continent) to support education in Pakistan!

We believe that education is the key to solving many of the problems we face in Pakistan today ranging from economic development, women’s rights to intolerance and terrorism.

We will be fundraising for Friends of The Citizens Foundation (FTCF) which have built 600 schools in urban slums and rural areas of Pakistan providing quality education to underprivileged children. TCF is the most organized, professional and dedicated education charity we have come across and we urge all our friends and family to help us in raising funds for their amazing cause!

Here are some facts about TCF that we found not only impressive but absolutely inspiring:

- Almost all children at TCF schools come from the poorest segments of society (urban slums and extremely poor rural communities).

- Some of these children actually work during the day to supplement the family income and are offered evening shifts.

- 50% of the children in their schools are girls! In a country with appalling rates of female literacy, this will have a major impact in educating the next generation of women.

- Books, uniforms, meals and not to mention a quality education by trained teachers are provided at highly subsidized rates (the fees, sometimes as little as 0.1p per month, are charged just to encourage ownership and responsibility).

- The schools have extremely high retention rates and the pass rate of their high school students is 99% (compared to the national average of about 60%). Of these, 73% have gone on to college.

- FTCF has a College Placement program and provides college scholarships to their brightest students. Recently two young women have become their first students to be accepted to a Medical College and Karachi’s top Business College (IBA) with scholarships.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us. FTCF gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor us now and support this great initiative in Pakistan!